WelTec delivers vocational education to about 8000 students every year.

WelTec offers over 130 courses in disciplines ranging from hospitality, business, information technology, visual arts, counselling, engineering, construction and creativity.

The Central Institute of Technology (or CIT) was a polytechnic formed in 1960, originally as the Central Technical College before its name change in 1963. The polytechnic was originally based in the Petone Technical College. Construction of the Heretaunga site began in 1970, with the site moving in stages to the new campus.

The first stage of pharmacy, science and engineering departments, consisting of three lecture theatres and a block of classrooms, was opened by the Prime Minister at the time, Norman Kirk, on 27 April 1973. The second stage, a halls of residence, consisted of a seven-storey tower block providing accommodation for up to 500 students, along with training facilities for the polytechnics hotel administration courses. The halls of residence opened in February 1978. The third stage added a library, a television production studio, computer-training facilities, areas for training in heating, ventilation, and aeronautics, along with buildings for the management school. The fourth and final stage implemented health science facilities. Courses were transferred from Petone as Heretaunga facilities were completed.

In mid-1989, the Minister of Health Helen Clark announced that the polytechnics pharmacy training classes would be moved to the University of Otago, and that occupational-therapy training would move to Auckland. She was met with protesters while attending a polytechnic teachers' conference in Trentham in May.

On 31 October 1989, as a result of the Department of Education's Wellington Regional Polytechnic review, the school of health sciences would be relocated to Wellington Polytechnic, closer to the hospital and the School of Nursing.